lock in

See also: lockin and lock-in

English

Verb

lock in (third-person singular simple present locks in, present participle locking in, simple past and past participle locked in)

1. (transitive) To secure (someone or something) in a locked enclosure.

   The dog won't escape now we've locked him in.

   The dog won't escape now we've locked him in the kitchen.

2. (transitive) To fix the value of (something potentially variable).

   I've locked in a rate of 5%.

   I've got a 5% rate locked in.

3. (transitive, colloquial) To prevent (someone or something) from escaping, deteriorating, or switching to an alternative.

   Our new foil packets keep the flavour of the crisps locked in.

   Companies find various ways to try to lock in a customer base by preventing the products or services from being fully fungible.

4. (transitive, music) To synchronize (especially a rhythm section) into a groove.
5. (intransitive, colloquial) To focus entirely on (something).

   I need to lock in for this exam I'm taking tomorrow.

Antonyms

• lock out

Derived terms

• lock-in (noun)

Translations

to secure someone or something in

• Finnish: lukita sisään, sulkea sisään

to fix the value

• Finnish: kiinnittää (fi), lukita (fi)

Noun

lock in (plural lock ins)

1. Misspelling of lock-in.

Anagrams

• Nickol, inlock